Luther is a British psychological crime drama television series starring Idris Elba as the title character Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. A first series of six episodes was broadcast on BBC One from 4 May to 8 June 2010. The second series of four episodes was shown on BBC One in summer 2011. During the 2011 Edinburgh TV Festival, BBC One controller Danny Cohen announced a third series, which ran from 2 through 23 July 2013.